Ophelia looked around the booth. “I tell you what. I’ll go swing by there right now and see if she has any blue fabric.”
Amka laid her napkin on her empty plate. “I don’t care if it’s blue. I just thought that might look good on all of you. If you find any color that works, that’s fine by me. But you all have to like it.”
“I can’t wear yellow,” May said. “At least not the pale shades.”
“And I can’t wear red.” Daisy patted her reddish hair.
Ophelia tilted her head. “I’m not great in purple.”
Amka laughed. “All right. So no purple, no yellow, no red. Other than that, feel free.”
“I wouldn’t do beige,” May added, leaning forward, getting into the planning. “We live in a place where the sun barely shows itself half the year. I feel like we should have real color.”
“I completely agree,” Amka said. “No beige. Nothing too pastel.”
“I’ll try to find a blue,” Ophelia went on, thinking aloud. “But I think a nice green would work.”
May finished her last wing. “That would be pretty.”
Ophelia suddenly shifted in the booth to face Amka. “What about flowers?”
“I hadn’t given it much thought,” Amka admitted.
“I have an idea,” May said, picturing the river trail from her last walk. “Why don’t we pick forget-me-nots, fireweed, and wild iris the day before the wedding? They’re blooming everywhere right now. They’re beautiful and easy to find. We can make really pretty bouquets.”
“I love that idea,” Amka said immediately.
Daisy nodded. “That sounds perfect. Wild and simple.”
May caught sight of Lance over at the counter. “Hey, Lance,” she called.
He turned on the stool and caught her eye, smiling before hopping down and walking toward their booth. “Hey. What’s up?”
“How would you like a quick job on Friday?” May asked.
“At the clinic?” he asked.
“No. Picking flowers,” May replied. “If you can get a couple of your buddies, maybe some of the kids from football camp you coached, we’ll pay by the hour. We need forget-me-nots, wild iris, and fireweed.”
He cocked his head. “Huh?”
“Pull out your phone,” May said dryly.
He obeyed, scrolling quickly. “Oh yeah. I know these. My grandma used to point out fireweed every summer.”
“You could grab a couple of friends and pick enough for four bouquets,” Daisy said, leaning forward, “and maybe some extra stems for vases.”
“Yeah,” Lance said. “We can do that.”
“We’re going to need ribbon,” Daisy said.
Lance swallowed. “You want me to get ribbon?”
“No,” Amka said quickly. “Ophelia, why don’t you see if the new seamstress has ribbon?”
Delight filled Ophelia’s eyes. “That’s a great idea, and maybe she could even help put the bouquets together. It’s artistic and crafty. Wouldn’t a seamstress be good at that?”
“I think so.” May looked up at Lance. He wore a black shirt with some hard metal band logo she’d never heard of and torn jeans. His black hair was swept back, freshly shaved at the sides. “Also, I’ve been meaning to ask you for a favor. Would you mind being my assistant at the wedding?”
